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Public accounting firms
Deloitte, PwC, KPMG
Accountants and Auditors
Accountants and auditors keep financial records accurate, check that taxes and internal controls are being handled correctly, and explain what the numbers mean to managers or clients. The work is a mix of detail-heavy review and judgment calls: you have to spot errors, fraud, or compliance problems without getting lost in the paperwork, and deadlines can make that harder.
Also known as AccountantStaff AccountantAuditorAudit AssociateSenior Accountant
Median Salary
$81,680
Mean $93,520
U.S. Workforce
~1.4M
124.2K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+4.6%
1579.8K to 1652.6K
Entry Education
Bachelor's degree
+ None experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Accountants and Auditors sits in the Finance category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~1.4M workers, with a median annual pay of $81,680 and roughly 124.2K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to grow from 1579.8 K in 2024 to 1652.6K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or business, and employers typically expect none of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Accounting Assistant and can progress toward Accounting Manager / Audit Manager. High-value skills usually include Excel, QuickBooks & ERP Systems, GAAP, Tax Codes & Audit Standards, and Financial Statement Analysis, paired with soft skills such as Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, and Critical Thinking.
Core Responsibilities
- Review company revenue, expenses, debts, and other obligations to help forecast future money needs and results.
- Check payroll, employee records, and related filings to make sure taxes, insurance, and legal requirements are handled correctly.
- Go through transactions and records to catch mistakes, duplicate work, waste, fraud, or rule-breaking.
- Talk with managers or clients about accounting issues, tax questions, and other financial concerns.
Keep exploring: more Finance careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Review company revenue, expenses, debts, and other obligations to help forecast future money needs and results.
02 Check payroll, employee records, and related filings to make sure taxes, insurance, and legal requirements are handled correctly.
03 Go through transactions and records to catch mistakes, duplicate work, waste, fraud, or rule-breaking.
04 Talk with managers or clients about accounting issues, tax questions, and other financial concerns.
05 Set up, update, and document accounting systems and recordkeeping processes using modern software.
06 Examine tax and financial records to figure out tax liability and confirm the company’s controls protect data and keep records reliable.
Industries That Hire
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Banking and financial services
JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo
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Healthcare organizations
Kaiser Permanente, HCA Healthcare, UnitedHealth Group
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Manufacturing and consumer goods
Procter & Gamble, 3M, Caterpillar
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Government and nonprofits
Internal Revenue Service, Government Accountability Office, American Red Cross
Pros and Cons
Advantages
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Pay is solid for a bachelor's-level job, with a median of $81,680 and a mean of $93,520.
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Hiring stays steady because the occupation is large, with about 124.2K annual openings expected.
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The work exists in almost every industry, so you can move from public accounting to healthcare, banking, manufacturing, or government.
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You can enter the field without prior work experience or on-the-job training, which makes the path straightforward.
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The same core skills can lead to tax, audit, corporate accounting, compliance, or management roles later on.
Challenges
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Growth is only 4.6% from 2024 to 2034, so the field is expanding, but not quickly.
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A lot of the job is checking numbers, matching records, and following rules, which can become repetitive.
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Software can handle more routine bookkeeping and reconciliation work, so some entry-level tasks are vulnerable to automation.
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Deadlines can be intense, especially during month-end close, tax season, and audit busy seasons.
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Advancement can slow down without a CPA or management track, so there is a real ceiling on the most routine roles.
Career Progression
Accounting Assistant
0-2 years
$45K-$64K
Supports invoice processing, reconciliations, filing, and basic reporting while learning the systems and rules used by the team.
Staff Accountant
2-4 years
$65K-$79K
Handles routine journal entries, account reconciliations, month-end close work, and basic reporting with less supervision.
Accountant / Auditor THIS ROLE
4-8 years
$80K-$105K
Runs core accounting or audit work, tests controls, explains findings, and owns more complex sections of reporting and compliance.
Senior Accountant / Senior Auditor
7-12 years
$106K-$135K
Leads difficult closes, reviews the work of others, handles higher-risk issues, and advises managers on fixes and process changes.
Accounting Manager / Audit Manager
10+ years
$136K-$175K
Oversees a team, sets priorities, approves major accounting judgments, and owns deadlines, controls, and client or executive communication.
Education Paths
Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or business
BLS lists a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry point for this role.
CPA licensure
A CPA is not required to start in the occupation, but it is a common step for public accounting and higher-responsibility work.
Master's degree in accounting or taxation
Some workers use graduate study to deepen tax, audit, or corporate accounting expertise and compete for faster advancement.
Key Skills
Technical
Excel, QuickBooks & ERP Systems 82%
GAAP, Tax Codes & Audit Standards 80%
Financial Statement Analysis 78%
Internal Controls & Compliance Testing 75%
Data Reconciliation & Audit Sampling 72%
Soft Skills
Reading ComprehensionActive ListeningCritical ThinkingSpeakingWritingJudgment and Decision Making Job Outlook and Trends
+4.6%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
124.2K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 1579.8K to 1652.6 K over the next decade, representing 4.6% growth. Around 124.2 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Moderate. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.